Survey Opened on Wednesday 7/29/2020 and Closed on Friday 8/7/2020 Roulhacenterprises.Com
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Survey opened on Wednesday 7/29/2020 and closed on Friday 8/7/2020 roulhacenterprises.com Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY......................................................................................................... 1 SURVEY OBJECTIVES / DESIGN........................................................................................... 2 DATA COLLECTED.................................................................................................................. 2 RESULTS.................................................................................................................................... 3 DISCUSSION/ CONCLUSIONS .............................................................................................. 6 DISCLOSURE ........................................................................................................................... 8 APPENDIX A: Baseline Survey ............................................................................................... APPENDIX B: Hybrid Model …............................................................................................... APPENDIX C: Survey Demographics ...................................................................................... EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Enrollment by District/Grade for the School Year 2019-20, as October 1, 2019 was reported to be 948,828 students. There are 53,094 students in the Boston Public Schools, the Commonwealth’s largest district. There are 25,044 students in the Worcester Public Schools and 25,007 students in the Springfield Public Schools. Students who identify themselves as African American or Hispanic represent the highest populations in these regions as well, 89.4% in Springfield, 72.4% in Boston and 60% in Worcester, respectively. Reopening schools prematurely in the Commonwealth will impact the African American and Hispanic communities disproportionately, due to the increased rate of coronavirus infection. As of Friday August 7, 2020, there have been at least 120,291 positive cases and 8,709 deaths in Massachusetts as a result of COVID19. In the absence of a vaccine, the threat to public health is imminent for those who do not practice safety protocols suggested by the Center for Disease and Control (CDC) to wear face coverings and remain six feet apart among other recommendations. To address the need for all stakeholders to be heard, informing investment over the long-term, Roulhac Enterprises and partners employed this survey as a cost-effective way to assure that the student voice is not absent from the discussion to reopen schools. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESSE) and local school districts are exploring strategies that include remote, in-school and hybrid learning environments to respond to this public health concern. This survey was conducted from July 29, 2020 through August 7, 2020 and exceeded the minimum number of participants recommended for large populations. Surveys are used to increase knowledge in fields such as social research and demography. Survey research is often used to assess thoughts, opinions, and feelings. Our goal was simply to gather qualitative and social emotional feedback from high school students about school reopening amid the coronavirus in Massachusetts. Results of this survey should inform strategies and mechanisms for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and local school districts alike. Survey questions were developed from the core principles of Social Emotional Learning outlined by the Social Emotional Learning Alliance for Massachusetts (SEL4MA), including but not limited to self-awareness, self-management, social-awareness, responsible decision making and relationship skills. ____________________________________ Industry workgroup consists of Roulhac Enterprises, GetPsychedSports, Massachusetts students, classroom educators and school administrators. Student population statistics are from the School and District Profile page of the Massachusetts Department Elementary and Secondary Education. (profiles.doe.mass.edu) Coronavirus statistics are from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/massachusetts/massachusetts) SURVEY OBJECTIVES / DESIGN Roulhac Enterprises recognized the need to better understand the extent to which the reopening of school discussion impacted students. With the assistance of a small industry workgroup, a survey was developed to answer the following questions: 1. How worried are you about the impact of coronavirus on you personally? 2. How worried are you about the impact of coronavirus on school? 3. How easy or difficult is it for you to work from home? 4. What are the TOP THREE biggest challenges you are currently facing while working remotely? 5. Thinking about your current remote learning arrangements, how long is this something you could comfortably maintain? 6. How confident are you in your school district's leadership team to make the right decisions to manage through this crisis? 7. What school district is your school in? The survey consisted of seven questions. (See Appendix A) It was kept broad and short to increase the likelihood of participation. Survey marketing targeted high school aged students and parents of high school students. It was distributed through email on record with Roulhac Enterprises and partnering organizations and social media channels. DATA COLLECTED A total of 158 participants completed the survey. The tables below display survey questions and results. The results presented here represent responses from each participant. Not all responses could be captured in the results, due to inconsistencies with the format of some of the responses. For example, open-ended questions provided a wide variety of responses, some that were unable to be categorized due to analytical limitations. Small differences in the responses such as capitalization, spacing, and spelling made some of the responses difficult to group. QUESTIONS / RESULTS DISCUSSION/ CONCLUSIONS The baseline survey results provide useful knowledge regarding student sentiment about the reopening of schools in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The results indicate that they do not want to return to school, do not have adequate equipment to work remotely, are concerned about fatigue, but are confident in school districts leadership to make an informed decision. On Friday August 7, 2020, Governor Baker signed an updated gathering order, effective Tuesday, August 11, announcing new initiatives to stop the spread of COVID-19. The order will reduce the limit on outdoor gatherings from 100 to 50 people (indoor gatherings limit will remain at 25 people). These limits apply to all types of gatherings, on both public and private property. They require face coverings where more than 10 people from different households will be mixing. Additionally, step two of phase III of the Commonwealth’s reopening plan has been postponed indefinitely. Each phase was projected to last a minimum of three weeks. The findings of this survey, coupled with recent announcement from the Governor’s office, encourage Roulhac Enterprises to promote a remote learning start to the school year, a re-evaluation in December 2020 for a January 2021 return to school in a hybrid model, with guidelines including but not limited to social distancing. The survey completion rate exceeded seventy-five percent (75%). In the timespan of ten days, it had a reach of over 3,000 individuals and over 300 engagements, with 158 individuals completing the survey. Researchers regard 100 participants as the minimum sample size when the population is large. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of those who engaged with the survey were women and thirty-two percent (32%) were men. Over ninety-five percent (95%) of survey takers took it on a mobile device while less than five percent (4.1%) used a desktop computer. Survey takers represented school districts as far east as Boston, MA and as far west as West Springfield, MA. All survey takers were students and residents of Massachusetts. The survey results indicate that seventy-five percent (75%) of students are personally concerned with the impact of the coronavirus. Maintaining a safe home environment and a lack of access to coronavirus testing resources are examples of personal concerns students are having to navigate. Many students live in multi-generational homes. This dynamic, often indicative of environments with lacking resources, creates a heightened concern for the adherence to safety protocols. Public and private organizations are testing in many places throughout the Commonwealth. Lacking resources may lead to a shortage of medical supplies or PPE in the home. Access to rapid testing, which impacts the ability for health care professionals to perform contact tracing, is not readily available according to health care professionals in high impact communities. Contact tracing allows for the virus to be contained better, preventing spread. The inability to ensure rapid testing in high impact communities will make it difficult to advance in the Commonwealth’s phased approach to reopening. Eighty-seven percent (87%) of students are concerned about the impact of the coronavirus on school. Governor Baker’s office has given school superintendents the responsibility of creating a school reopening plan for their individual district. School districts are relying on the leadership from the Governor